Their young faces glowing with excitement, Dickei Kwan and Au Chi-man recounted their memorable experience at the Global Citizenship Programme 2005. They were among the delegation of thirty local university students attending a 9-day conference held in New York, from 17 to 25 June 2005. The visit which was organised by the Dragon Foundation, has now entered into its second year.

To Dickei and Chi-man, the trip was an eye-opening experience as well as a soul-searching journey into the dual identities of "global citizen" and "teacher" in the increasingly globalised world. Dickei said, "University education has strengthened our ability to assume a leadership role, but the programme took us further by broadening our vision of global and international issues. The impact of the trip on me has been profound. I learnt that teaching not only means imparting knowledge to my students, but also raising their awareness of global issues and developing their critical understanding of international affairs. This is a mission not to be ignored by any educator nowadays." The thought-provoking programme has enlightened Dickei on global issues such as the rampant spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa, and the abuse of cheap labour in third world countries. "As teachers, we need to bring to our children the message that there are so many things we should care for in the global village we live in. We are the lucky ones, and I think we should offer our help to the under-privileged in poverty-stricken countries."

Dickei and Chi-man were both proud to have represented not only themselves, as individuals, but also the Institute. "I was pleased that, at the conclusion of the conference, teammates in the delegation told us they had a deeper understanding of teacher education, which goes far beyond 'chalk and talk'," said Chi-man.

Recalling their unforgettable experience which involved meeting a lot of great people in the States, Dickei and Chi-man mentioned the Mathias couple who were hosts of their home-stay family. "They have a 9-year old daughter and a foster baby. As parents, they have raised their children in a loving and caring environment. I see in them the essence of education - the attention, care and affection that we will give to our students. We also talked about a lot of things, and I feel that people in the US are really interested to know more about Hong Kong and China. As a Chinese national, I feel proud of my own identity, and the role that our motherland plays at the centre of the world stage."